On election night, it's customary for candidates to throw a big shindig for themselves even if they know they're toast. Well, Frank Conaway is not your conventional candidate. Asked if he had party plans for tonight, the Baltimore Circuit Court Clerk and wannabe rapper was incredulous. "A party? Oh, no, I'm not having a party," he said. "I'm tired, man. I need rest. " Sorry to break to you, folks. Conaway won't even sing his trademark rap . His plans are to invite a few friends and relatives over to his home.

On August 15, 2009, ROBERTA CELESTE LANDERS (nee Haase); beloved wife of the late William S. Landers, Sr.; devoted mother of Cathy Mathis and her husband Tom, Deborah Bardroff and her husband Dave, William (Bill) S. Landers, Jr. and his wife Tracy, and Daniel (Dan) Landers; dear sister of Marion Linthicum. Also survived by six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk, Inc., 7922 Wise Avenue, on Thursday at 8 p.m. Interment private.

At a panel discussion on the city's property tax rate, Joseph T. "Jody" Landers took to the lectern in the manner of a professor. He began by admonishing the only other Democratic mayoral challenger to show at the event — state Sen. Catherine Pugh — for what he apparently viewed as a glaring inaccuracy in the nomenclature she used to describe the city's infamous inventory of vacant homes. Instead of saying that there were 47,000 "boarded-up homes" in Baltimore, Landers said, she should have called them "vacant housing units.

If Baltimore is to remain financially healthy, it will take a strong and aggressive city comptroller to watch over municipal monetary affairs. Hyman A. Pressman, who is retiring after 28 years, was vigilant in his early years before he slowed down and lapsed into an ineffective routine. On Sept. 12, Democrats have a chance to rejuvenate that important office by nominating Joseph T. "Jody" Landers III to the No. 3 job in city government.In considering the three candidates, The Sun came to the conclusion that while Mary W. Conaway, the register of wills, might learn to do the job properly, she lacks the basic qualifications for the comptroller's office and still has no grasp of what the job entails.

ROSALIND CARROLL LANDERS (nee O'Leary), age 84 of Aberdeen, peacefully on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at Harford Memorial Hospital. Born in Baltimore to the late Dennis D. and Adelaide O'Leary (nee Egner). Predeceased by loving husband William H. Landers in 1987 and dear friend William H. Duncan in 2008. Beloved mother of Denise Maranto of Baltimore, Carol Chatham of Rising Sun, Philip Peciulis of Aberdeen and the late Vincent Peciulis. Caring grandmother of granddaughters Megan and Katie Peciulis of New Orleans, LA, Amy V. Maranto of Baltimore, Charlotte Grabowski of Rising Sun and great-grandchildren Rebecca Grabowski and Vincent Thomas.

After 28 years of electing Hyman Pressman as comptroller, Baltimore city voters now find themselves having to take a fresh look at an office many of them have taken for granted. Until age and declining health slowed him down, Pressman's antics gave the post of comptroller a colorful flavor. His retirement, however, is a good opportunity to re-examine the office and its important role in city government. And in an otherwise rather lackluster election year, the controller's race is one of the few contests that is actually generating some excitement.

In the race to be Baltimore's next comptroller, City Council members Jacqueline F. McLean and Joseph T. "Jody" Landers III have each raised more than $60,000. But Mrs. McLean, a successful businesswoman, has more cash on hand to help win the Democratic primary nomination.Of the $64,747 he raised, Mr. Landers has spent all but $3,132. Mrs. McLean, who collected $61,277, has $25,259 left in her campaign treasury, according to campaign finance reports made public yesterday and Tuesday. The Democratic primary is Sept.

THERE'S A high-paying job available in Baltimore and it's one of those rare occasions these days when it's an advantage to be a 40-year-old white male even though the boss is an equal opportunity employer.The job is comptroller of the city and the pay is $53,000 a year, including an attractive package of go-withs. The contest to succeed the durable Hyman A. Pressman as comptroller is one that political rubberneckers are watching closely.It's a tight little competition among three elected officials who are trying to move up a notch from their current jobs.

Councilman Joseph T. "Jody" Landers III, who in 1989 sponsored legislation to create the city's beverage container tax, has announced he will seek repeal of that levy.In making his intentions public at last night's City Council meeting, Landers angered many of his colleagues who wanted to avoid being put in the position of voting against a repeal with municipal elections coming up next year.Landers, D-3rd, told the council that he would submit a bill next week to repeal the tax, enacted by the council in June 1989.

Reporter Julie Scharper 's article on this year's Baltimore City mayoral race was excellent ("A daunting lead for the incumbent," Aug. 28). The city is fortunate to have such a strong field of candidates. Joseph T. "Jody" Landers' background in the Northeast Baltimore community, on the City Council and in the real estate market, coupled with his enthusiasm, dedication and thoughtful approach to the city's problems, position him to become a great Baltimore mayor in the tradition of the late William Donald Schaefer.

I attended a fundraiser the other night for Joseph T. "Jody" Landers. It is the second candidate fundraiser I've attended, the first being for Otis Rolley. Both men are smart, passionate about serving the city, and genuinely concerned over the future of Baltimore. Along with State Sen. Catherine Pugh, we have good, solid choices this year and can feel pride that Baltimore still attracts quality candidates. However, I witnessed something at Mr. Landers' event that I have never seen before in any previous election, and it spoke louder than any slogan or speech.

Bluer than Democrat-rich Baltimore! Able to distract morning commuters with a single wave! Look! On the street corner with Jody Landers! It's actual fun in this year's mayoral campaign! Blue Man, a mysterious figure in a full-body Spandex suit, has swooped in from who-knows-where to help former City Councilman Joseph T. "Jody" Landers with his weekday morning car waves. There's no telling if the seeming superhero can help Landers in September's Democratic primary, but he has already succeeded in injecting some zip into an otherwise snoozy race.

I was all ready this weekend to pull together a diatribe complaining about just how tepid the marketing for the mayoral election has been. But then I saw the above photo. With the exception of Otis Rolley's polished branding campaign, everyone else in the field has failed to put out anything that transcends a project in Microsoft Paint. Enter BlueManBmore. What mayoral candidate Jody Landers has lacked in dynamic advertising, he's certainly made up for in ... well, I'm not sure.

When life hands you car theft, make political hay. “While picking up his car from a local automotive repair shop last month, [Jody] Landers' vehicle was stolen as he was inside the office and paying for the work,” the former City Councilman's mayoral campaign announced Wednesday. “More than two weeks after the car was recovered, Landers started receiving notices, via U.S. mail, of several parking and moving violations that were the work of the thief. After trying for several hours to convince the City to waive these fees and dealing with red tape issues, Landers ultimately relented and paid the fines.” Landers' campaign got one thing wrong: He never relented.

I completely agree with the heading statement of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's recent op-ed ( "What would Schaefer do?" May 1) — "Baltimore needs to muster some of the late mayor's sense of urgency. " Baltimore also needs a mayor who knows how to exercise leadership and deftly apply the levers of power and persuasion in order to make it happen. I honestly do not know what Mr. Schaefer would do to address these various situations, even though I had the benefit of serving as a community-based mayor's representative under Mayor Schaefer, and of serving as a member of the Baltimore City Council during his last term in the mayor's office.

Baltimore Councilwoman Jacqueline F. McLean, D-2nd, captured the Democratic nomination for city comptroller last night, outpacing a fellow council member and trouncing the city's register of wills for the chance to be the city's next fiscal watchdog.Mrs. McLean, owner of a Federal Hill travel agency and a two-term councilwoman, won with 49 percent of the vote. Councilman Joseph T. "Jody" Landers III, D-3rd, trailed with 34 percent, and Register of Wills Mary W. Conaway received only 17 percent.

It is clear from the facts revealed by the federal corruption investigation into kickbacks related to Baltimore towing operations that the present system is broken and needs to be fixed. In place of the current medallion system, which arbitrarily limits competition and creates an environment that breeds corruption, the city should have a system that is open to any company that can document that it meets certain equipment and operational standards and can post a performance bond or meet certain liability insurance coverage limits.

The incoming mayor, Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, could have a tremendous impact on improving the city's housing market by committing to lowering property taxes and pushing for a land bank authority to help the city get control of vacant homes, said Joseph T. "Jody" Landers III, executive vice president of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors. The city has seen its tax base erode as it struggles to compete with the declining home prices and lower tax rate of the surrounding counties, Landers said.